Sunday, 28 January 2018

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EDUCATION





Artificial intelligence (AI) has slowly but surely entered every area of our lives, from online shopping to TV viewing to everything. AI or Artificial Intelligence, in other words, is the study of man-made computational devices and systems. Today, AI has been a hot topic everywhere and is making its way into education. However, some say it will take over education to the impairment of students, whereas others indicate that AI will revolutionize and improve education.
So, what is its impact on education? Will it help students? Will it help teachers or make them obsolete? Artificial Intelligence does not minimize anything from classroom instruction, in fact, it enhances the quality of education. Over the last decade, there are several challenges of learning, including language processing, reasoning, planning, and cognitive modeling have been addressed by the artificial intelligence applications. In fact, both education and Artificial Intelligence have been made for each other. Whereas, education is a means to develop minds capable of leveraging the knowledge pool, while Artificial Intelligence provides tools for developing a more accurate and detailed picture of how everything works. Click Here for Full Article

Wednesday, 24 January 2018

SCIENCE WORKSHOP ON GRAVITATIONAL WAVES AT INFOSYS


Students from the secondary segment of Oakridge International School were taken to pay a visit to Infosys Technologies Ltd, Bangalore on an invitation from Infosys. The Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) organized its prize announcement ceremony for the year 2017 to recognize inspiring researchers and scholars across various fields of science and social sciences.

Students were amazed to see the research work going on different fields, which has also motivated them to learn more about each subject. The event followed by an amazing workshop on ‘Gravitational Waves’ whose detection has been recognized with the Nobel prize in Physics this year. It was a great experience for students to be a part of the workshop and understand the fundamentals of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, and more importantly, the difference between Newtonian Physics and Einstein’s theories. Click here for full article

Tuesday, 23 January 2018

The power of Positive Reinforcement for Kids



Just like any adult, all children need rather expect their due recognition. When their success and efforts get praised, there is an element of push to the positive side to their personality. When we as adults appreciate children for attempting something new or advancing efforts to achieve something, it not only motivates them but also lets them know how much they are capable of. And that is the first step to “recognition”. But, why is recognition so important? Read on to know what India’s top international schools follow to enhance the personalities of their students through the efficient tool called “recognition.” 

Inculcating positive reinforcement through recognition 
 
Children respond positively to appreciation and recognition. They take a leap of happiness when parents praise them for their effort and attempts, and more so, when their teachers do. Like a hike for the employee, a tip for the bearer, a cookie or a verbal praise like “good job” for the kid can work wonders. It does not have to be something material always. Words have the power to channelize their positive energy into something more productive. 

Putting to practice the ancient technique

·         Positive reinforcement is an age-old technique used to encourage acceptable and good behaviour in children. 

·        Rewards for children can be anything from letting them play their favourite game or dancing in the rain to smaller treats like a cookie every time he/she does the math problem right. 

Although this sounds interesting, there is an unseen side to this too.

·         Well, the unseen side is that, you may actually start doubting if they ever will solve the math problem right knowing they will not receive a cookie this time. 

·         What then becomes important is, knowing when to provide the positive reinforcement. 

  What should you focus on to enrich the positivity? 
 
The strength of “Positive reinforcement” doubles with “recognition.” Facilitators in most of the Bangalore schools believe in this strongly.

A child definitely needs to know what behavior of his/her is laudable. Also, another critical point is that there cannot be a positive reinforcement for every good step the child takes. With progressing times and enhanced educational scenarios, India’s top International Schools take the challenge seriously. 

The Best International Schools in Bangalore  are known to keep the entire process specific, by way of not rewarding for every step the child takes and keeping it specifically to some exclusive milestones that add to personality shaping. 

On the flip side, what needs more attention is, the children should at no point feel their parents or teachers are judgemental. So, the issue is tacky and needs to be handled effectively so as to give an impression that you are actually recognizing his/her effort, even when the child does not bring out the desired output. 

The power of praise
 
Praise is indeed a powerful tool to motivate and encourage learning. Praising the right person at the right time for the right action is indeed an art. Positive reinforcements are the sure way to bring out the best behavior from your child. While you appreciate them, remember, you are also motivating them to perform even better and that shapes their behavior, thought process and eventually the personality. 

Watch and catch the child while doing “good” and say encouraging words. When you catch them doing something odd, sit them down and remind them of the good they do and the appreciation they get for the same. That way, you are actually encouraging the child to repeat that behavior more. That is the first step to your child recognizing the value of his/her own actions and qualities. 

Children pick up ideas, actions and words from adults, be it parents or teachers. So, as adults we must become their ideals and that’s how we inspire them to be better individuals tomorrow!